up a hill and into the wind

not enough
left
in the tank,

it’s time to
stop,

bend
at the waist,

only midway up
the hill,
bend
at the waist,
hands heavily
on the knees,
sucking forcefully
at the gusting
wind.

the only way
to get better
is
to let go.

snot,
spit,
sweat,
running
from the body
like rain.

why did it
today hurt
so much?

thank you
god,
thank you
for that it
hurt so
much.
thank you
for that it
stops.

the only way
to get better
is
to let go.

the people
in the town
feel they are
very important
to the town.

they take fish
from the
surrounding water
and send it
all away.

they
themselves
most often
go away for
large chunks
of the year.

important
to the town
but
the town
imports processed meats
from the midwest
to feed its children.
and sends the
fresh fish
from the
surrounding sea
away
to somewhere else.

people
who aren’t from
here,
don’t live
here
but a
few months a year,
they are
brought in and
housed
in bunkhouses,
brought in
to do the cold
wet and bloody
work
of breaking down
the bodies.
preparing them
for their
departure.

the people
of the town
claim to
hate socialism
yet they
gladly take
public money
and use it to
build something that
only serves
a select few.

the people
of the town
claim to
hate regulation
yet clamor to
regulate things that
affect their
bottom line.

the only way
to get better
is
to let go.

adhd is a
coping skill.
depression is a
learned behavior.
arthritis is
auto-immune,
meaning,
it is the
physical expression
of an emotional wound.

thank you
god
for this
hurt.
thank you
god
for its
cessation.

the only way
to get better
is
to let go.